New Brunswick's Liberal government was on the defensive for the second straight day over bonuses and a salary increase for NB Power's chief executive officer.

The Opposition Conservative continued Wednesday to attack the decision to give David Hay retroactive pay hikes and bonuses totalling about $145,000 dating back at least two years.

In what may have been the roughest ride in question period so far for Premier Shawn Graham's Liberal government, Opposition Leader David Alward and several other Tory MLAs hounded the provincial government over the payments.

They said Francis McGuire, the chairman of NB Power's board of directors, should not have approved bonuses and retroactive pay hikes to Hay.

Tory MLA Trevor Holder demanded the government shift that money to the program that helps low-income people pay their power bills.

"Maybe they need to pick up the phone and call Premier McGuire, because he's running this circus of a government. Yes or no? Will they take that money and redirect it to people who need it the most?" Holder said.

Graham refused to answer any of the questions thrown at him on the issue, delegating that task to Energy Minister Jack Keir.

Keir repeated his message that NB Power's board makes its own decisions on issues like Hay's bonus pay.

"It was based on year 2007-2008 for performance by those senior managers by the board of directors. It's a board of directors day to day decision on how remuneration is paid to NB Power employees," Keir said.

Facing a possible $285-million deficit in 2008-09, the Liberal government has frozen all planned pay increases and bonuses for MLAs, cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats. Finance Minister Victor Boudreau has sent letters to all Crown corporations asking that they adhere to that policy.

Ed Barrett, the chair of the human resources committee of the board of directors of NB Power, issued a statement late on Wednesday that his committee has received the request Boudreau sent about shelving bonuses.

In that short statement, Barrett said that his committee will recommend to the full board at its Friday meeting that it accept the request from Boudreau. It did not address the controversy over Hay's retroactive pay increase and bonuses.